Creation of Arran and split Before 2012, the left-wing Catalan independence movement had two youth organizations:
Maulets-JIR and CAJEI. The first was founded in 1999 through the union of Maulets (the youth wing of
Catalunya Lliure) and the Catalan Revolutionary Youth (JIR, youth of
People's Unity Assembly). The second group was created in 2002 by members of
Endavant. Both organizations merged in 2012 creating
Arran. Soon after the merge, some ex-members of
Maulets-JIR (especially those close to the
Movement for Defence of the Land), started to consider that the leadership of the new organization was following the political line of CAJEI. These ex-members of
Maulets-JIR became involved in the creation of the youth of the
Catalan National Assembly (ANC), the National Assembly of Pro-Independence Youth (ANJI). Due to this, they were threatened with expulsion from
Arran. In 2014, groups of ex-Maulets created, along with other youth organizations, the Estudiants 9N movement, which organized a
student strike to support the
unofficial self-determination referendum. During the referendum campaign, some local chapters of
Arran (
Arbúcies, for example) made posters promoting a 'Yes' vote; the leadership of
Arran ordered that these posters be withdrawn. At the national assembly of that year, most members of
Arran voted to expel those who had participated in the
ANC. Their objection stems from the ANC's stance to fight only for the independence of
Catalonia and not all of the
Catalan Countries. The vote was not valid because it did not reach the 70% of necessary quorum. This vote caused a split in
Arran, with various local groups leaving the organization, including
Alt Maresme,
València,
Castelló de la Plana,
Badalona,
Cerdanyola del Vallès and
Girona Creation of the Youth Assemblies for Popular Unity On 28 December 2015, the Assemblies of the
Alt Empordà,
Alt Maresme,
Badalona,
Berguedà,
Cerdanyola del Vallès,
Mataró and
Sants celebrated the Founding Congress of the Youth Assemblies for Popular Unity (AJUP) in the town of
Celrà. The political declaration of AJUP declared the
Catalan Countries independentism,
Marxist socialism,
feminism and
ecologism as the main ideological lines of the organization. AJUP also considered the
CUP as its "political reference".
Foundation of La Forja In the second National Congress of AJUP, held on 3 and 4 February 2018 in
Canet de Mar, the organization was refounded as La Forja - Jovent Revolucionari. At the time of the foundation they were present in the
comarques of
Alt Empordà,
Barcelonès,
Gironès,
Maresme,
Segarra,
Tarragonès,
Vallès Occidental and
Terres de l'Ebre. La Forja is part of
Popular Unity Candidacy–Constituent Call, Platform for the Right to Decide of the Valencian Country and the youth of the
Catalan National Assembly. La Forja is also very close to
Poble Lliure and the
Intersindical-CSC trade union. On 10 April 2018, two members of La Forja were arrested by the
Mossos d'Esquadra in an operation against the
CDRs, both being released the next day. Another 3 members of the organization are being investigated, accused of "damages and coercion", by the
Spanish Justice since October 2018. La Forja has denounced these cases as part of a
repressive strategy against the
Catalan independence movement. ==References==